Final Ranger 8 Pictures Taken 1/2 Second Before Impact

Image Credit:
NASA

Published:
July 9, 2018

Historical Date:
February 20, 1965

Final pictures taken by the Ranger 8 P-camera about 1/2 second before impact. Impact occurred on 20 February 1965 at 9:57:36.256 UT. The images are ordered (clockwise from upper left) P3, P4, P2, P1. Impact occurred before transmission of the image P4 was complete, hence the static over most of the image. The areas shown are in Mare Tranquillitatus (Sea of Tranquillity) about 60 km north of the Apollo 11 landing site. Image P3 was taken 0.489 seconds before impact, from a distance of 1.09 km. The image is about 140 meters across. Image P1 was taken 0.689 seconds before impact from 1.52 km and is 60 meters across. Image P2 was taken 0.289 seconds prior to impact from 640 meters. The frame is 30 meters across. North is up on all images. (Ranger 8, P020)